Eollee mill



I (No M' ae 7 Sheefs-Sheet P. WEGMANN.

ROLLER MILL.

"110.294.41 1 I Patented Man-4,1884.

M1:- Invnior (No Model.) 7 Sheets-Sheet 3.

F. WEGMANN. m vROLLER- MILL. No. 294,418 Patented 4, 1884'.

(NoModeL) Sheets-Sheet 4" F. WEGMANN. 1

. ROLLER MILL} 1m 294,418., I Patented Mar, 4; 1884.

N. Pflins. mmuum mun Washington. D. c

5 M m S k 7 av h S 7 N N A M G W R.

(No Model.)

, 1 RDLLBB MILL.

Patented Mar; 4-, 1884.

WFi'NEEE-EEEI r4. PETERS. mwmm m. vim-mm 0.1.

7 Sheets-Shet 6.4

(No Model.) T. WEGMANN;

ROLLER MILL;

N0 294,418 Patented Mar. 4,, 1884.

N. PETERS. Pmxo-Lnm m mr. Wzwm me 7 Sheets+Sheet 7.

A .M G E w. F m w. M W

ROLLER ILL.

No.,294,418. Patented Mar. 4,1884.

.VVI- FNEEEEE:

, U ITE STATES ROLLER-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,418, dated March 4, 1884.

Application filed April 25, 1883. (K0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH WEGMANN, of Zurich, canton of Zurich, Republic of Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to roller-mills for grinding and reducing grain and other substances; and the improvements consist more particularly in automatic mechanism or devices for causing the rolls to be separated and the feeding of material to be stopped whenever the supply of material in the feeding-hopper becomes nearly exhausted.

The improvements further consist in various features and details, hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of my improved mill; Fig. 2, a vertical section at right angles to Fig. l, or longitudinally through the feed mechanism and one of the main grindingrolls; Fig. 3, an end view of the machine; Fig. 4, a view illustrating the friction-clutch, through which thefriction mechanismisthrown into or out of action; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the feeding-hopper and the mechanism for stopping the feed' and separating the rolls; Fig. 6, a sectional view of said hopper and feeding-rolls; and Figs. 7 to 14, inclusive, detailed views illustrating the construction and operation of the different parts. 7

In the practical operation and use of mills of this character it is found that unless great care and attention be giventhe material to be operated upon will at timesbecome exhausted, permitting the rolls to come into direct 0on tact one with the other, thus greatly injuring their working-surfaces. This injury is par ticularly noticeable in the case of porcelain rolls, the surfaces being somewhat softer than the surfaces of metal rolls.

Hitherto I have devised and patented mechanism for simultaneously spreading the rolls apart andstopping the feed, said invention being designed to prevent the rolls from running in contact after the feed has stoppedgand thus occasioning the injury above referred to; but I find in practice that even this precaution is insuflicient, for the reason that unless close attention is given to the machine the hoppers will at times become empty while the machine continues in motion, thus permitting the rolls'to run empty, as before mentioned.- I therefore now propose to provide means whereby the rolls shall be separated and the feed stopped simultaneously and automaticallywhenever the material in the hopperis reduced to a certain predetermined quantity. In this way the rolls are prevented absolutely from at any time running empty while in working adjustment.

Referring now to the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine, consisting of two side castings connected by cross braces or rods a, and carrying four axle boxes or bearings, B and G, in which revolve the journals of the two' crushing or grinding cylinders. The shaft D of the cylinder E is furnished with a belt-pulley, F, which rotates freely upon'a collar fixed on the shaft D, except when a friction-clutch is caused to lock the pulley to the shaft oraxlep The construction of this clutch may be more readily understood by referring to Figs. 2, 4, and 12, in which it will be seen that a head, T, is keyed upon the shaft or axle and formed with atubular sleeve, which constitutes the axle or journal for the pulley F, so that said pulley may rotate freely upon the sleeve without affecting the shaft D.

T represents a sliding block arranged to move radially through the head T. and provided at its outer end with a shoe, T the periphery or outer face of which is formed with a series of V-shaped ridges to fit corresponding frame A, and arranged to move the collar to 9 and from the head, according asit is desired to clutch or unclutch the driving-pulley F, two shoes with their operating devices being employed and arranged diametrically opposite each other.

[PATENT ()FFICE; s

- grooves formed in the inner face of the rim of v By the employment of a friction-clutch I am enabled to stop and start the mill instantly without the shifting of belts, which involves considerable delay, which delay is a matter of great importance in this class of machines, it being essential that in case of derangement of the mechanism, the hopper becoming empty, or of hard substances entering the hopper, the rolls should be instantly thrown out of operation.

By employing a friction-clutch the machine may also be gradually brought into operation, and the severe strain to which it would be subj ected by suddenly setting the rolls into motion at full speed is avoided.

N o novelty is claimed in the clutch mechanism, which is only present. in the case as conducive to a better general understanding of the machine as a whole.

The roll E'is mounted in fixed boxes or bearings B, and the roll E is mounted in movable bearings 0, carried by swinging arms or supports the lower ends of which are sustained by adj ust-able pivots 0. The pivot c has its central portion, on which the arm 0 rests, made eccentric to its ends, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, which ends are seated in holes or sockets in the frame A, so that by rotating the pivot the height of the arms 0' may be varied to bring the roll into a true horizontal position and into alignment with its companion roll E.

So far the construction is the same as that described by me in my former application, on which Letters Patent were granted to me, bearing date April 17, 1883, and numbered 276,10l. For the purpose, however, of preventing play or movement about the pivot c, by reason of wear of the pivot or of the opening in the arm 0, I provide a bearing pin or plug, which is pressed upward against the under side of the pivot by a spiral spring, beneath which is a block, raised or lowered, as required, by a tapered key, e, which is adjusted and held by nuts 0. The seat in the arm 0, in which the pivot is located, is open at one side, so that the arms may be passed to place or taken therefrom without removing the pivot from the frame, the plate (1 serving to close the open side of the seat when the arm is in position, said plate being retained by the nuts of the wedge c, the shank of which passes through a hole in thelower end of the plate (1.

For the purpose of adjusting the roll Eto and from the roll E, the upper ends of the arms 0 are connected by suitable tension devices to depending arms M, secured firmly to a crossshaft, M, jcurnaled in suitable supports on the main frame, said shaft being furnished with a block, M provided with a slot to receive a stud or pin, m, on arockingjournal or shaft,m,which is furnished with ahandlever, B. By moving the hand-lever downward, and thereby rocking the journal m, the stud or pin m is caused to work in the block M and thereby to rotate the shaft M and swing back the arms M, thus releasing the tension devices and permitting and causing roll-arms O to swing back and. carry the roll E away from roll E. A spring, a, one end of which is secured to frame A, serves to draw down the arm B when not held against such downward movement.

For the purpose of adjusting the position of the roll E with great accuracy and nicety, I employ connecting devices (represented in Figs. 5, 8, and 9) between the dependent arms M and the roll-carryingarms C, as shown in Fig. 9. This consists of a frame composed of two longitudinal rods, L, connected at their ends by cross-heads L and L Between the heads, and sliding upon the rods, I arrange four plates, 9 and g, h and h, and between the plates 9 and g',which are both free to slide on the rods, I placeastrongspiral spring, 9 the plate 9 being arranged to bear directly against the outer face of the arm 0, which is preferably furnished with a rubber plug or bearing-block, to avoid undue wear and to deaden the sound of the machine. A compression-screw, 9, provided with a handwhcel, passes through the cross-head L and bears against theplate g to regulate the compression of the spring g", a jam-nut, 9, being applied to the screw to prevent its accidental turning.

Between the heads h and h is placed a lighter spiral spring, h said spring encircling a telescoping or sliding rod, 7L3, the two parts 0 f which slide, respectively, through or with the heads h and h, the outer or larger portion of said rod being threaded on its exterior, and provided with a nut, i, and jam-nut, 1', whereby the compression of the spring h may be varied as desired. The spring 7L2 serves to hold the rolls E and E apart, except as the force of said spring is overcome by the inward pressure of spring g", which is so adjusted as to prevent the actual contact of the rolls, in consequence of the slight play which necessarily exists in the roll-bearings,in order to permitthe proper free rotation of the rolls. The rolls are, however, adjusted as close as possible without actual contact for finer grinding or reduction, and the spring h prevents the movable roll from swinging or falling farther inward than the pressure or force of spring compels.

For the purpose of holding the arm R in its upright position, in which position it remains while the roll E is held in working adjustment, I employ a latch or pawl, R, journaled on a spindle or arm, of, which carries at its opposite end an upright arm, R and a counter-weight, Z, the counter-weight serving to cause an engagement of the pawl R with the nose or forward end of the lever It, as shown in Figs. and 7. The upper end of the arm R is furnished with a sleeve or collar, 2*, of leather, rubber, or other material, to prevent the fracture of the arm when struck by the descending weight, as presently described.

Within the hopper I is arranged a gate or valve, K, which is normally held down in the position shown in Fig. l by the weight of grain in the hopper, said gate or valve being hung or sustained at one edge upon a 'horizontal shaft, P, the end of which is extended past the side of the hopper, and provided with a rigidly-attached arm, Q", carrying a weight, P,

and slotted or perforated to permit the passage through it of a rod, Q, the upper'end of which is jointed to a pivoted catch or lever, Q, mounted upon a stud or bearing at the side of the hopper. The catch or arm Q is formed with a hand-piece, as shown in Fig. 5, and serves to engage and hold in an upright position a weight, Q carried by an arm loosely journaled on the rod or shaft P, the'center of gravity of the weight Q and its supportingarm being thrown out of line with the axis of the rod' or shaft P, so that when the arm or catch Q, is raised the weight Q shall fall by gravity to a point below the rod, and, strik ing in its course the sleeve or collar Z of the arm R tips said arm and throws back the dog R, thereby releasing the arm R, permitting the spring a to draw down the said arm, thereby, through the movement of the block i t row1n ac e arms an causing 11 ,11 'gb kth M a the roll supporting arms C. to swing outward and carry roll E away from its com panion roll E. So long as the quantity of grain in the hopper is suficient to overcome the weight P, the gate K will lie down close to the side of the hopper, as shownin Fig.1, permitting the material to pass freely through the same to the feeding-rolls. Whenever the material falls below a certainpoint, and thus becomes insufficient to overbalance the weight P, the latter will descend, and, striking a head or enlargement on the rod Qiwill draw the latter down, thereby tipping the dog or lever Q, releasing the weight Qt andpermitting thesame to fall over and strike the arm R and there- I by to release the dog R in the manner above explained. It will thus be seen. that the operation of the feed-controlling devices is wholly automatic, and that under no circumstances, even during the absence of attendants, can the rolls continue to rotate in theirworking adjustment when the feed has become exhausted. When the hopper is again supplied with material, the gate or valve is thereby depressed and the weight P israised to relieve the catch or arm Q, permitting the latter to again fall to its operative position. The weight Q is then again raised by hand to the position shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, a shoulder on the arm or catch Q engaging in a notch in the weight Q,

and holding the latter in an upright position, Y

as indicated in Fig. 6.

It will be seen by referring to the drawings that the arm Q," is permitted to move some distance before coming in contact with the head or button at the end of the rod Q said arm and its weight P therebyv gaining sufficient momentum to withdraw the catch or arm Q from the weight Q* with certainty. It will also be seen that the weight Q falls from a.

point above the rod Pto a point below the same, or through about one-half of a circle,

as above stated; but the way in which the rollsare thrown out of operation differs somewhat, as will now be pointed out. As in said former patent, the band-wheel J is loose upon the shaftor axle J of the primary feed-roll, butis caused to rotate'therewith, when desired, by a clutch, U, which is ;free to slide longitudinally upon the shaft J, but is held against rotation thereon by a spline or feather, as is customary in clutches of this class, the sleeve or sliding collar being moved in one direction by a spiral spring, V, encircling the shaft, and in a reverse direction by a cam, W, formed upon the arm R and engaging with one end of the pivoted yoke or fork S, as more plainly shown in Figs. 5 and 7. Thus it will be seen that when the arm Ris moved to separate the rolls, whether the same be effected automatically or manually, the cam or incline W throws the clutch inward and causes its disengagement from the hub of the band-wheel J permitting the latter to run free, and without operating the feed-rolls. When the armR is again raised to the position shown in Fig. 5, the incline riding away from the fork S permits the spring V tomove the sleeve or clutch and to cause its re-engagement with the hub of the wheel J said hub and clutch being preferably serrated or notched, as is usual, or, if preferred,

rotates at comparatively slow speed, and serves to draw the material from the hopper and deliver it to the roll K, which I prefer to make of porcelain, and which, rotating more rapidly, carries the material over its top and delivers it, through the spout or hopper I, to the crushing-rolls in a thin even stream or sheet, thus making the rolls to actupon each separate particle. of the material evenly and uniformly. Atrough or bottom, j, ishinged beneath the rolls J 3 and K, to catch any material which may pass between them. This trough or bottom may be readily released at its forward edge, where it is held by thumb-screws and permitted to fall down to discharge the material accumulated therein, or to give access to the feeding-rolls when desired.

In order to prevent the noiseincident to the use of gear-wheels, I employ gearing of the description claimed in my patent of April 19, 1881, No. 240,3I7, in which the wheels are formed with annular chambers and supplied with sand. shot, or other non-resonant substance. This gearing is peculiarly adapted to mills of this class, and overcomes almost completely the sound or noise hitherto so great an objection to geared roller-mills.

While I deem the construction and arrangement of parts herein described and illustrated as eminently satisfactory for the purpose of automatically stopping the feed and spreading the rolls whenever the material becomes nearly exhausted, it will be seen that other adaptations of the idea may be readily made by those skilled in the art; that various changes may be made, which, however, fall rather within the province of the mechanic than of the inventor. I therefore wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth and shown; but I believe myself to be the originator of the broad idea of automatically disconnecting the feeding devices from their operating mechanism and spreading the rolls apart, or of automatically performing either of said operations when the material becomes low in the hopper, and therefore I claim such construction broadly and irrespective of the details of the mech anism by which such result is accomplished. As an illustration of one modified form of apparatus for this purpose, reference is made to Fig. 14, in which the shaft or rod I, on which the gate or valve K is hung, is furnished with a combined cam and eccentric.that is to say, with a circular block, Q, set eccentric on the rod or shaft, and having its side face inclined relatively and not at right angles to the axis of the shaft, the fork S by which the clutch is shifted being in such case inverted or placed above the feed-roll shaft, instead of below it, and operated by the inclined face of the block Q, and the tension device being jointed to an upright lever pivoted at its lower end to the frame of the machine, and bearing at its up per end against the periphery of said block, as plainly indicated in Fig. 14. It will be seen that under this construction the rise of the gate or valve K, and the consequent rotation of the combined cam and eccentric, will cause the fork S to shift the clutch, and will also permit the tension device to move outward, relieving the swinging arms 0 and permitting the separation of the rolls E and E. Vhen the supply of grain or material is arranged within the hopper, the depression of the valve or gate K, turning the combined cam and eccentric, will permit the clutch to be thrown into operative position through the action of its spring, and will also force or crowd back the upright arm, thereby restoring the adjustable roll E to its working-position.

It is obvious that various other modifications of a similar nature may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention; but the exemplifications herein shown and described are deemed sufficient to make said invention clear to those skilled in the art.

I am aware that a float or gate has before been arranged within a feed-hopper and connected with a regulating-gate in such manner that the opening and closing of the regulating-gate was controlled by the material in the hopper. My plan differs from this, in that the variation of the supply does not alter the size of the discharge-opening; but when the material diminish es below a certain point, the feed-rollers, or other operating mechanism by i which the material is drawn out of the hopper, are automatically thrown out of action through the movement of a gate, valve, or

board within the hopper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, in a roller-mill, of a roller-adjusting mechanism, a feeding mechanism, a valve-or gate arranged in the feedinghop'per and receiving the weight of the grain or material to be operated upon, and intermediate connecting devices, substantially such as described, between said parts, whereby the rolls are spread and the feed cut off whenever the quantity of material in the hopper falls below a certain predetermined point.

2. In combination with afeed-hopper, afeed-. roll at the discharge-opening thereof, a drivin g-wheel detachably connected with said feedroll, a valve or gate within the hopper, and an intermediate connection, substantially such as shown and described, between the valve or gate and the driving-wheel of the feed-roll, whereby the movements of said valve or gate are caused to effect the connection and disconnection of the driving-wheel and feed-roll.

3. The combination of roll E, adjustable roll E, swinging arms 0, hand-lever R, shaft or journal m, cross-shaft M, arms M, and slotted blocks M", secured upon said cross-shaft, and tension rods or frame L, and a locking device to hold the lever B in a fixed position, substaniially as shown.

4. In combination with the hand-lever R, provided with cam or incline \V, the feed-roll shaft J, pulley J", clutch U, and fork S, all combined and operating substantially as described.

5. In combination with a roll-adjusting lever, R, the dog or catch R, provided with arm R gate K, shaft 1 weighted arm Q rigidly attached to said shaft, weight Q", dog or arm Q, and rod Q", all combined and operating substantially as described.

6. In combination with the gate K, rod or shaft I, weighted arm Q weight Q, catch Q, rod Q lever B, provided with cam or incline \V, dog It, provided with arm It", and weight Z, feed-roll shaft J, band-wheel J, clutch U, and fork S.

7. The combination of a gate or board arranged to receive the weight of the grain or anism to deliver the material to the reducing apparatus, a driving-pulley for said feeding mechanism, and intermediate connections, substantially such as shown, for causing the driving-wheel to bedisconnected from the gearing when the feed becomes low.

8. The combination of a gate or board arranged to receive the weight of the grain or substance to be operated upon, two grinding or reducing rolls, adjustable bearings for one of said rolls, and intermediate connections, substantially such as shown and described, between the gateor board and the adjustable bearings, whereby the rolls are caused to be separated when the feed becomes low in the hopper.

9. The combination of a gate or board arranged to receive the weight of the grain or substance to be operated upon, feeding mechanism arranged to deliver the material to re ducing-rolls, a driving -pulley for the feed ing mechanism, two reducing-rolls, adjustable bearings for one of said rolls, and intermediate connections, substantially such as shown, connecting the gate or board with the drivingpulley of the feed mechanism andwith the adjustable bearings of the roll, whereby a diminution of the feed below a certain point is caused to simultaneously stop the feeding mechanism and separate the reducing-rolls.

pressure-springs arranged to bear against the outer side of the arms, and a second pair of springs bearing against the inner sides of the arms, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. In combination with roll E and its bearings, and with roll E and its supportingarms 0, frames L L L", springs 9*, screws 9 telescopic-rods 2", nuts 43, springs k and arms M, bearing against the cross-heads L ,all substantially as shown and described. I

12. In combination with a stationary r011, an adjustable roll, and movable supportingarms for the latter, springs arranged to bear against the movable arms and to press the movable roll toward the fixed roll, telescopic rods bearing against the supporting-arms at one end, 'fiXed supports at the opposite ends of saidrods, springs encircling said rods, nuts screwed upon said rods, and arranged, substantially as shown, to support one end of the encircling-springs, and a frame, substantially such as shown and described, carrying the rodsand springs, and serving to keep them in place.

FRIEDRICH WEGMANN. Witnesses:

FRIEDRICH SOHABELITZ, ROBERT STOLZ. 

